Florida responds to take-out-Tebow rhetoric

We're paraphrasing, of course. Timmy didn't say "bring it," but in so many words Tebow let it be known he isn't scared of a little trash talk from LSU's underclassman defensive end. Jean-Francois said last week that LSU wanted to take out Tebow.

"I don't think it's ever really a good thing to talk trash because all it does is fire your opponent up. At least that's how it is for me," Tebow said. "Whatever you can use as motivation."

On Tuesday, LSU's sports information office issued this clarification to Ricky's trash talk. Apparently, Ricky sat down and wrote this (In other words, LSU's sports information office wrote this.):

"We never go into any football game trying to hurt a player from the other team. My comments in regard to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow were misinterpreted and were intended to reflect the style of football that we play at LSU. We have great respect for Tim as a player and a competitor. By taking him of the game, I meant as a defense we are going to try to make him ineffective. I'm sorry my initial comments were interpreted another way."

Well, you're in luck, Ricky. Tebow knew what you meant.

"I'm a competitor, so I think he wasn't meaning it like a lot of people took it," Tebow said. "You try to use anything as motivation, too, but I don't really think he meant everything he said. But part of it was true, we do have a good training staff."

"There's no place for that. If you hear one of our guys say something, we just take him out the media. You know what I think happens, and I don't know this guy, but I think people just say 'Give me something.' Our players have told me that. That someone says 'Give me something,' and they stick a microphone in a 19-year-old's face and say, 'Give me something to say to this guy.' I don't care, but I wish that stuff wouldn't happen."